In commercial and utility vehicles, it is desirable to customize the features available to the operator based on the specific application for which the vehicle is being used. This can be done by offering different sets of electronics for each type of vehicle application, but this is an impractical approach for the vehicle manufacturer who must then maintain a large number of vehicle versions. A more effective approach is to offer a single set of electronics for all vehicle applications that can be reprogrammed with different versions of software. Although this is a vast improvement over using different electronics versions for each vehicle, it still requires a configuration step for each vehicle before the vehicle is shipped to the final customer and multiple versions of software.
One approach is to integrate electronic components into the operator controls in the vehicle. As different operator controls (such as switches) are populated in the vehicle during the assembly process, the vehicle system communicates with or detects the electronics resident in the operator controls to determine which vehicle features should be enabled or disabled. This allows the vehicle to be self-configuring based on the population of the operator controls, and eliminates the need for end-of-line programming specific to the vehicle application. This also allows the vehicle functionality to be changed by a service technician by replacing specific operator controls.
Unfortunately, adding electronics to each operator control can increase the cost of the overall system. An operator control such as a switch is typically a simple mechanical device, made primarily of an inexpensive plastic or similar material. Adding electronics to each control increases the cost and complexity of the controls. A typical dashboard in a commercial vehicle can have dozens of these switches, increasing the impact of using expensive switches with built-in electronics.
Intelligent vehicle gauges can be manufactured such that the plastic decal that is placed on the face of the gauge determines the identity and functionality of the underlying electronics driving the gauge. The plastic decal is manufactured such that it has a flexible tail extending out from the main decal body. The free end of this flexible tail contains a number of metallicized pads. When the tail is plugged into a corresponding connector on a circuit board beneath the decal, the metallicized pads come in contact with a series of small switches integral to the connector. Based on the number and arrangement of the metallicized pads, a subset of the switches is activated, providing an electronic identity for the gauge. The behavior of the gauge is determined by the mechanical presence and arrangement of pads on the tail of the decal. However, the assembly of the gauges requires special assembly instructions to insert the flexible tail into the corresponding connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,725 by Gordon et al. describes an electrical connector assembly which uses a specific arrangement of projecting members, or tabs, molded into the connector housing to activate a subset of switches placed on the circuit board to which the connector is joined. The number and location of the tabs is configurable. The selective activation of switches by the Connector tabs provides a unique electronic identity for the component. This patent describes an electrical connector assembly and does not pertain to operator controls.
What is needed in the art is an operator control that cap provide automatic configuration of a vehicle system using a simple mechanical Interface to an underlying electronic circuit board that is cost-effective and easy to configure.